St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-10
DON'T Want DIVISION
Looker-in Discusses the Cues =
ton Of Division at Con-
siderable Length.
He Boldly Asserts That Di-
vision Is a Very Cold, Stiff
Clammy Corpse.
Maj. Edwards Statement at a
COnven ton in Sioux Falls
Last Spring.
An Idea Given Of What the
Aberdeen Convention In
tends to Do.

WATERFOWL, OAK. Dec. There
seems to be some question now whether
the people of Dakota really want "diviS-
ion' or not. Before election, there
could be none. Any One-horse politi-
elan you might meet on the street would
tell you so. They were all so sure that
the people wanted division. must
have division. and would take nothing
but division. But matters have
changed lately. There was what was
called an election. 1t was an election
ordered by whom? The divisionists.
They wanted an election to forever eS-
tabliSh the fact that the pc Ople of Da-
lOta were in favor of division. Gen.
Campbell said that an election would
settle the question and place it forever
beyond the bounds of dispute. SO they
had an election. Ii was their election, and
like the boy in the parable, it WaS"their
funeral" They called it; they held
their conventions; they organized their
campaign; they were going to show
of this country about how bad the peO-
pie of this territory did want division.
Meanwhile what did the anti-division-
lists do? Did they organize a
counter campaign? No. They
simimply kept still. Most of them,
for one reason Or another. said that they
would take no part in the election what
ever, would have nothing to do with it,
either way. They would not even vote
1t was the divisiOniStS' funeral and they
would not in any way interfere. In
deed, the diviSioniStS had made such
arrant boasts about their strength and
how they could and would carry every
thing that q large number of the ants
were scared into believing it. 1t seemed
quite likely that the diviSiOniStS would
carry the day. 1t will be remembered
that during the compaign. | quoted Ed
itor1 Jewell, of the Bismarck Tribune,
as saying, that in his part of the cOun-
tryahardly any interest was taken, and
that in Burleigh county. where no other
Question was at issue, he thought it
doubtful if any votes at all would be
cast and that in other counties in North
Dakota there might be something of a
vote on division on account of the deep
interest that was felt in lOcal-OptiOn pro-
hibition. But Mr.. Jewell appreciated
but little the sentiment of the country.
He was hardy man indeed, who would
predict that the election would go
against division in view of all these cir
cumstances. With all these attendant
favorable circumstances, there could be
but little doubt as to the outcome of
division-if the people were in favor
of it.
DIVISION IS DEAD.
1t is unkind. though, to twit the poor
diviSiOniStS of these things now. 1t
does not seem like exactly the proper
thing-tO kick man when he is down.
7 he division men are down, but !, for
one, want to be sure that they all know
it. | am satisfied that division is dead,
very dead, but | am not satisfied that
the people of this territory all appre-
ciate this fact, and hence these further
remarks OH this subject. There are a
great many men in the territory who
take this same view of this question
that | do. These men have put their
heads together, and after discussion
of the state of affairs have concluded to
call a convention at Aberdeen to con-
slider this very matter of making the
people of this territory all thoroughly
appreciate the fact that Dakota is Dakota
first, last and all the time, and that she
does not propose to be two DakOtaS, or
two anythings, but just Dakota, free
and simple. Realizing this, the Alder
deem convention has been called. That
Aberdeen convention is going to be
SucceSS-a bigger success than any con-
vention of the kind ever held in Dakota
before. 1t is all spontaneous, without
order or authority of call, a general up
rising of the people to what they want,
but it will ''get there just the same"
But what is this convention? What is
it for, and what is it going to do? you
may ask. 1t is a convention of men
who want to see Dakota state, and it
is for the purpose of helping make her
q state that the convention is called land
the convention will take such action as
may seem best to its assembled wisdom,
probably prepare strong address to
congress and at the same time send
strong committee of men down to Wash
ington to back it, This is in short what
the Aberdeen convention is and is
going to be, but like me, you will know
more on this head after next WedneS-
day, when this convention meets.
Personal EXPRESSIONS.
1t may be profitable to introduce now
a few opinions of prominent men on the
question of Division. They may be of
use at the Aberdeen convention next
week. At the last territorial G.. A. II.
reunion | was present. 1t was held at
WOOnsOcket. At many of these meet
ingS it is the custom to talk about the
wants of Dakota, and among those there
are some who will mention division.
But at the WOOnsOcket reunion nothing
of this kind was said. ! was with the
party that left WoOnSOcket with Com
mander-in-Chief Fairchild to visit |
Sioux Falls, where 6. A. r. hall was
to be dedicated. Sioux Falls gave us a
royal reception. In the afternoon at
one of the halls reception was given |
the visitors. Gen. Fairchild, Gen. Allen,
Col. Plummer and others spoke. |
Finally Maj. Edwards, of the |
Fargo Argus, was called out, and in !
his speech he said that few years
before he had been one of the most |
earnest workers for division in the ter
ritory. In company with Delegate Pet
tigrew and other prominent DakOtians, |
he had worked increasingly for the di |
vision of the territory. One of their
principal arguments was, that i'll Central |
Dakota there was large country unin- |
habited, and likely to remain so, be- |
cause the country was desert and unfit |
for civilization. For this reason, largely, |
he urged, with the others, the division |
of the territory. But few weeks ago, |
the major continued, he had been at the |
editorial reunion at Milbank, in the |
midst of the desert country. But what |
a sight greeted his eyes. This country, |
that he had supposed was desert, and |
ever to remain so, was one of the most |
fertile spots that he had ever seen in the |
whole territory. He had not been there |
before, but had been told that it was a |
wild, uninhabltable tract of coun-
try that could never be |
opened to settlement. The major
drew no moral from this little story If |